Firstly, hello, as it's my first post on the site. I have already spent about 30 hours searching around for information on what to do, and I thought it was finally time I joined.
I have a 32" diameter chestnut oak that uprooted and fell last summer that I can't get out to the road, and need to mill on the spot. It was an awesome tree and I wish it was still up; but at least I can not let it just rot. I have spent about five Saturdays now on it; first trying and failing to pull logs I cut from it up the steep hill it's on, then a bunch more weekends chopping and sawing on it with hand tools. And then, no kidding, another ten saturdays over the last five months thinking about how to do it and what to do with it. Last weekend I finally gave up on my traditionalist preference and I am going to go the power route to get it done. A chainsaw with lake pipes and supercharger, blowing flames out the side, and an alaskan sawmill. I really want to get this done before tick and mosquito season, which is coming starting around May.
I have basically no experience with chainsaws; just a few hours on a battery powered Milwaukee 16" bar. What I want is the smallest saw I can use to mill the logs, and then it will probably never see another tree thicker than 24" again. And it will probably only ever do milling. I would rather use my Disston crosscut saw on anything I can use it on. I do have a 20" or so sweetgum that's also down, and a 16-18" sycamore that the saw will also be used on. I have never been into chainsaws, but I am into trees, hand saws and axes, and big slabs of wood to make tables from. To get those slabs, now I'm into chainsaws by requirement.
I can pay guys to come in and do it all for $2000. I already talked to them. But for that price I could buy the equipment myself and do it. If I paid them, when they left I would have the wood and be $2000 poorer. If I do it myself, I will have the wood and be $1400 poorer, but I would also have $1400 worth of tools. This would all be great, as long as I can do it without getting myself hurt. I do have experience chopping on trees with axes and big crosscut saws, and riding motorcycles, and rebuilding a couple v8 engines. So I've definitely done stuff before where you can get hurt, and I know how to be careful. I'm 40 and in good shape. I'm just a little uneasy jumping right in with an 80cc chainsaw. I'm assuming that hooking the thing up to a mill rig is a little safer than swinging it around bucking logs and felling trees. Would you guys agree with that?
I am leaning towards a Husqvarna 576XP Autotune, but they're hard to find. Next preference would be their 572XP. However, to be able to mill this log I need at least a 36" bar. And even with the 36" bar, I would probably only be able to get about 30" in there. So I would have to hack off 2-3 inches of the log to use it. I would rather just use a 42" bar with a 36" mill (which I have read in several places is a good way to go, even though the Granberg site, and others, say a 36" mill is for a 36" bar, maximum). If the saw can just survive going through about a ten foot log at 30" average a few times, that's the toughest duty it will ever see. I'm thinking I can do that, take my time and let the saw cool between and during cuts, and be good. The guy I talked to at the Stihl dealer said the same thing. Oregon's parts finder pulls up a 42" bar for the 576X but not for the 572. It also pulls up a 42" bar for the Stihl 460 and 461; which are about $100-200 more, but are also options. A couple other places, like Forester, have a 36" bar that they say fits the 572, but I haven't found any reference yet that says a 42" bar will even fit a 572.
Alternatively, the Stihl dealer has a MS 660 for $850 that looks to be in decent shape.
Nice forum. I've read a lot of threads on here and have learned a lot. Could you offer any thoughts or advice to me?
